


Of backpacks and life changing choices

by Fandoms_ruined_me123



Series: Whumptober 2020 [4]
Category: Green Arrow (Comics)
Genre: Ambiguous/Open Ending, Arguing, Canon-Typical Violence, Emiko Queen Centric, I will make that a tag if it is the last thing I do, Implied/Referenced Drug Use, Oliver Queen is Bad at Feelings, Running Away
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-05
Updated: 2020-10-05
Packaged: 2021-03-08 02:40:22
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,892
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26838367
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fandoms_ruined_me123/pseuds/Fandoms_ruined_me123
Summary: Emiko never thought this day would actually come. She had prepared and planned for so long but it was always just a precaution, until one day it wasn't. The backpack shoved far under her bed might actually have some use.Whumptober 2020 alternative prompt: Crying
Relationships: Emiko Queen & Oliver Queen
Series: Whumptober 2020 [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1950364
Comments: 5
Kudos: 9





	Of backpacks and life changing choices

**Author's Note:**

  * For [DesertLily](https://archiveofourown.org/users/DesertLily/gifts).



> Written yesterday, posted today. Who care? Not me! This is gifted to a really good friend of mine who ended up Beta reading this for me. A long time ago (I doubt they even remember it) they told me that if I wanted to write something I should. If I wanted to create something for a character, that I should. And that may not seem like a lot but just the fact that they put so much effort and care into helping my writing and encouraging me really meant a lot. I never forgot that and so this is for them. <3  
> Also yes this is not exactly in favor of Oliver, but this is based on the Green Arrow Rebirth series and I just had some beef with how he acted in the beginning of that. Especially how he interacted with Emiko so here this is
> 
> And as always thank you to my amazing beta Elise, rabbits, she doesn't fear them but you should

It is very easy to hide things in a large house. Even a penthouse leaves many optimal hiding places. When you look at a room your eyes are naturally drawn to the most noticeable features - such as the furniture and ambiance. In a room, there are many nooks and crannies where one could hide something. If the room is rarely entered by others - like a bedroom perhaps- the likelihood of finding such a thing lowers significantly. After all, it would be rude to go rifling through someone else's things, particularly if that someone was a young girl.

Somewhere within the heart of Star City, there is a penthouse. It sits in the midst of the city amongst buildings that shoot high up into the sky. The furniture seems new (as does everything else in the lavish and expansive area). It was clean and immaculate as if the inhabitants spent little time there, or as if they were attempting to hide something. A side halfway adjacent to the main area seems normal enough, but at the end of the hallway, there is something that catches the eye of all who enter. A large gaping hole sat in a doorway. Hinges bare and the doorframe empty with no door in sight, seeming to have been taken off months before. The room lacked much detail. School textbooks laid upon the wooden desk, the bed next to it sat empty as a majority of the blanket had been tossed aside haphazardly onto the floor. Someone had left in a hurry.

If someone were to look at the room from the doorframe, they would see exactly what had been described. If they entered a bit further they might see the stay pieces of clothing on the floor by the closet. Or maybe, if they knew what they were looking for, they would see the faint imprint of a foot on the windowsill - despite being so high up. However, no matter how many times Oliver looked into the room, that was all he could see. That was all anyone could see. Bedrooms have hiding places, and no one noticed that one was occupied.

Underneath the bed, on the far back wall, was a bag. A large black backpack that had been pushed into the corner where the light could not reach. Inside the bag was an advanced first aid kit assembled with an amalgamation of material for many others. The creator was clearly attempting to not draw attention to their actions. Instead of material from one kit, there was an excess amount of supplies from many different kits and some material bought from different drug stores. Other contents were; a disposable phone, toiletries, multiple rolls of cash, and the strangest of all; a quiver full of arrows. 

Emiko never intended to use the bag. It was more of a precaution than anything. She had begun to assemble the bag on her first night staying at the penthouse. Everything around her had seemed so strange and foreign. She watched Oliver as closely as he watched her, both unsure what to make of each other. He didn’t tell her to train and didn’t even bring it up. He had someone to stay with her when he went away to patrol the city and was even hesitant about her leaving the house on her own - both out of suspicion and concern. So she began to fill the bag.

After a while, she had settled into their lifestyle. Oliver trained with her almost daily and she couldn’t help but wonder if this was what was considered a ‘normal life’. But they fought. The two of them clashed together like the Cyanean Rocks; stopping arguments only to start them up again. Eventually, one fight ended with Emiko slamming her door. Something that would end one argument but start another. Oliver took the door to her room off its hinges and after many days of confusion, she decided to continue making the bag just in case. It seemed normal enough to her but still, the action was frightening.

Then her orders came in and she was ordered to strike down the one person who seemed to truly care for her. She tried her hardest to save Oliver and in the end, it was her actions that led to his rescue. She still regretted every moment of it. Dinah had forgiven her, reassuring her that she did the right thing but she knew Oliver still held it over her. Emiko was forced to leave for a while. Though, she still found herself ending up back in his care. When she needed it the most the bag wasn’t complete so she worked on it even more than she had before. The day she had needed it was gone, but there could always be another time. And there was.

“I’m in position,” Emiko whispered into her comms she peered over the edge of the storage container stack she was perched upon. The ocean gray and stormy as the rain poured down. She wiped away the rain that spilled down her cheeks as she noticed a small group of men coming in from the North side. She brought up a small pair of binoculars as the five men meandered their way through the shipping dock. Their crisp business suits a drastic change from the casual clothing of men down beneath her.

“Stay there. That is a direct order. Do you hear me?” Oliver's voice came flowing into her ear as she nodded slowly. He had been more cautious with her since she disobeyed him last week and still had a firm eye on her. With a mission as important as this, there was no room for mistakes. “These men are dangerous and if this gets messed up? We will have lost months of research. It’s time to get these scumbags off the street,” She could only faintly see him on another crate across from her. His face fully turned as he scanned the perimeter, on the watch for any extra parties who should arrive.

Emiko watched intently as the men drew closer. Oliver didn’t have to tell her they were dangerous. After all, she had tracked them down along with him. The men in suits were a group of scientists stealing experimental drugs from their labs to sell them to dealers on the streets to use as they wished. Using those unfortunate enough to take them as test subjects. It was nights like these where she found herself longing for a hood like Oliver had. Something to keep the rain from pouring down her face like tears. She never went through with the design change, however. Instead, opting to feel the wind rushing through her hair, sending it flying along behind her. The edges brushing up against her jawline as she fought.

She raised the binoculars up once more as the two groups met up in the enclosure. The shipping cares on all sides serving as protection for the men and an advantage for her. Slowly one of the men in suits leaned down, placing his briefcase on the ground before he opened it. Small vials rested inside as the men leaned in greedily. Suddenly the man with the briefcase reached back. He moved slowly to not cause alarm as he pulled out a small firearm, holding it momentarily before offering it to the other men.

Emiko zoomed-in slowly in an attempt to make out their words. He gestured down to the vials slightly before back up to the gun. Briefcase man handed the gun over to the man who had been handling the transaction which, by looking at the way the others stood around him, made him the obvious leader. Horror flashed across her face as she realized what was so special about that gun. It was bad enough to be giving it to those who had no idea what was in it, it’s even worse to shoot someone with a bullet containing it. First, it was directed as the civilians but this was blatantly weaponizing it. 

“Ollie,” She hissed frantically

“I said radio silence!” 

“I know Ollie but there's this gun-”

“Emi, we don’t have time for this. An extra gun isn’t anything we can’t handle - no matter the size,” She sat there in shock as his voice shut off. His words repeated in her head as she sighed in frustration. Then she froze. As she looked down, the men turned slightly to the side. All conversation ceased as the drug dealer rolled the gun over in his hands before aiming up slightly. The gun with bullets that could be used for immeasurable pain if they became mainstream. The gun laced with the same drug that had only been smuggled onto the streets a month before but that had already resulted in so many horrific deaths. The gun that was trained onto her brother. 

She notched an arrow quickly, breathing in deeply. Then she fired. The man’s screams echoed throughout the area as her arrow found its mark deep within his thigh. She could hear Oliver cursing at her through the comms but she only turned it off. She released a few more arrows before she lept to the side. Taking shelter behind the side of another crate as the gunfire rained down around her. With every bullet that ricocheted off the metal near her, her heart jumped. The metal clangs shook through her body as if it seemed like anyone of those bullets could meet its mark. Shouts of pain echoed through the area as her brother picked off the rest of the men. 

By the time she had made her way around the creates and down to the ground, she saw Oliver as he stood surrounded by the unconscious men. He bent down to retrieve the briefcase before he stood, his bow in one hand and briefcase in the other. He walked towards Emiko, displeasure and anger clear on what she could see of his face. The rest hidden by the downpour that pulled down the edges of his hood. 

“We are going to drop this off for the police, then you and I are going to talk.” She took a step back as he stormed past her. She eyes him wearily before she begrudgingly follows behind.

The trip back to the police station was tense and it only worsened as they stopped by the Arrowcave. Only staying for a moment for her to drop off her bow and to get a change of clothes. Oliver did not follow in suit, he only put on a jacket over his easily distinguishable clothes. The second they got back to the apartment, she knew he was planning on going out again, and he wasn’t going to take her with him. He crossed into the kitchen before filling a glass with water. She stuck close to the wall, stepping closer to her room slowly as she watched him closely. She hoped that he wouldn’t say anything; that he would realize why she did what she did. But that was never how this had gone in the past. What would make this any different? 

“Emiko,” Oliver said as he placed the now empty glass onto the counter. “What was that tonight?”

“I helped you bring down the drug traders?” She asked weakly.

“Damn it, Emi! I gave you the plan! You knew what it was! Did you forget or something?”

“You were about to get shot!” She snapped, “I did what I could to protect you!” 

“Everything would have been fine if you had just stuck to the plan! What would have happened if we lost them tonight?” Oliver asked, running a hand through his hair in exasperation. “You know that it is harder to fight them in a group rather than when they’ve been separated! What would you have done if we lost them?”

“But we didn’t-”

“But what if we had?” He took a breath in before exhaling sharply. “I’ve been doing this for a long time and it’s a dangerous job. Maybe too dangerous for you to be out there,”

“Ollie, what do you-”

“That's it,” He stated as he cut her off. “I’m pulling you from patrol. It’s dangerous and you’ve clearly shown that you can’t follow directions out there.”

“Too dangerous?” She exclaimed, staring at him dumbfounded as she stepped forward. “Ollie I was raised in this life. I made a decision that could have saved your life.”

“Or it could have put both of us in danger. And what was the last thing you did to save my life? You shot me.” Emiko looked away as heat built up in her chest. She had been trying to protect him. It was only because of her arrow that he was even found, but Oliver never thought of it like that. He only saw the part of her shooting him. Everyone told her that she did the right thing but their words just bounced off her. How could it be the right thing if he was still mad about it? This would typically be the time when Dinah would pull him aside to talk him down, but Dinah wasn’t here this time.

“Let's start at a month, then I’ll see if you can join again,”

“Four weeks?” She exclaimed. He began to move towards the door to leave before she stepped in his path. “What if something happens? You can’t patrol alone, Oliver!”

“Those are the rules, Emiko and you know them. If you don’t like them then you can leave. I can’t patrol with people I can’t trust anyways.” Emiko froze as his words sunk in. Her heart pounded in her chest as she struggled to breathe. She couldn't feel him as he pushed past her on his way to the door. The sound from the door as it slammed behind him only vaguely registering in her brain. 

After a moment of silence, Emiko began to sprint through the house. Her feet almost tripped over each other as she ran towards her room. Not hesitating for a second as she sped into her room. She moved aside the blankets at the side of her bed before she dragged out the backpack. Her eyes shut tight as she felt the fabric under her fingers. She attempted to get her breathing under control before she brought herself to her feet to begin preparing. Clothes that were once on the ground now found themselves pushed into the bag. She put in as many as she could until they could put in no more. Finally, she reached deep into her closet before removing a small box. She hesitated slightly before ultimately paced it in the bag.

Inside the box was a bow; a gift from Roy. He had told her it would work in drastic situations. Ones where she needed something more compact than her traditional bow. Something that could fold up and be brought out when needed. It wasn’t the kind of bow she was used to but she could make it work. She thought she knew what he meant but now there was a whole new meaning to his words. As she exited her room, she looked around the house. Looking around at the memories embedded within the walls. Slowly she stooped down to grab a jacket she had left by the door before she left. And she didn’t look back.

The walk to the bus station on the edge of town was slow and tedious. Despite the hood pulled over her head, Emiko still took the long way. Opting to take select back roads instead of the main road to avoid running into him. The man at the ticket booth raised an eyebrow at the sight of the young girl at the mostly empty station but he handed her the ticket anyway. A one-way ticket out of Star city on the only bus running that late. She didn’t even look at where she was going.

Emiko didn’t cry when she left the house, walked through the city for the last time, or even when she’d boarded the bus. It was only thirty minutes into the ride that the tears began to pour down her face. Silent sobs shook her shoulder as she pictured the man who had taken her in only to turn her out again; who had gained her trust only to rip it away. The first person she honestly felt fully safe around was now the person she dreaded most. She silently begged to never see again.

Ragged shallow breaths caused her shaking to worsen. She could feel the judgmental eyes of the few strangers on the bus as they seemed to burn a hole in her back, but she didn’t turn to face them. Her arms hugged her bag close to her chest as she pulled her feet up beside her. He head gently rested against the window, looking out into the world around her under the cover of night. The rain dripped down the window as her tears mimicked it. Her eyes became red and her head throbbed but still, they continued to fall. The bus took her away from the city that had given her something; given her a family only to take it all away again. Emiko Queen rode off into the night, seemingly a nobody once again


End file.
